


Acupuncture

by Mello_Drama_Reborn



Category: DREAM!ing (Video Game)
Genre: Acupuncture, Chizuru is a thirsty sadist, I'm sorry Kasuka (again), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 21:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16689652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mello_Drama_Reborn/pseuds/Mello_Drama_Reborn
Summary: Chizuru has overdone the muscle training while JIn is away, but fortunately for him, he has someone experienced in traditional medicines right there in his dorm. Someone who just happens to be very easy to intimidate into doing what he wants. (Someone whose little panicked expressions when he does are... quite enjoyable.)





	Acupuncture

**Author's Note:**

> Ever thought to yourself "I liked that massage fic you wrote, MDR, can you make another one, but meaner"? If you have, you're in luck! This is basically that.
> 
> I didn't mean to write this for Kasuka's birthday, but then the new event course stories came out and Kasuka talked about knowing Chinese medicine and I was filled with a vital need for him to stab someone. (Speaking of which, Chizuru's muscle training is a reference to the second chapter of his first card story. It's not necessary to understand this fic but I highly recommend it anyway.)  
> I've started many ChizuKasu fics, but this is definitely the nicest of them so I'm glad it was the only one to make it to completion (also makes me feel better for doing this on his birthday fdjghdsg I'm sorry Kasuka but everyone needs to find you hot, including mean people).
> 
> The massage fic was based on personal experience, but this only has a little bit of internet research behind it, so sorry if anything about the acupuncture is inaccurate! Also, only get acupuncture done by a licensed professional!!

Chizuru's everything hurt.  
He knew he'd been overdoing the muscle training, to the point where Mikage's teasing had turned to genuine concern, and the fact that he hadn't made any progress despite that meant that his ego hurt even more than the rest of his miserable existence. Jin was abroad for work, and Chizuru wanted to use time he would've spent attending to his every wish increasing his own capabilities; his purpose in life was to serve Jin, after all, so when the man himself wasn't around to serve, that left self improvement as his only productive option.  
Except now he'd pushed that too far, meaning there was nothing left to him except to uselessly do nothing.

Uselessness, in Chizuru's world, was the highest vice, and sitting on the couch of the black dorm lounge, and he allowed himself to groan loudly in frustration.  
This caused Kasuka, whose presence in the lounge was somewhat unusual but still completely unnotable, to look up at him - his eyes holding a mixture of concern and fear. Chizuru was more bothered by the former than the latter, liking to hold a certain amount terror over the other members of the black dorm.

“Kasuka~?”  
Kasuka stiffened at the sound of his name, and the amusing sight was a welcome distraction from the soreness in his limbs, even giving him an idea. “I'm in quite a bit of pain right now, and it's made my mood absolutely _horrible_.”  
Kasuka visibly winced at the mention of his mood, and Chizuru felt his spirits start to rise again as he thought about how he'd never tire of Kasuka's reactions.  
“Supposedly you know something about traditional medicine… Do you think you could help me?”

“... What kind of pain is it?”

“Muscle pain.”

He realized belatedly the potential embarrassment of admitting how he got in that state, but thankfully Kasuka didn't question it, though even if he had, Chizuru had ways of silencing him.

“In that case… I suppose I could try acupuncture.”

“Ohh? Kasuka, is this your way of saying you want to stab me?”

Kasuka stiffened again at the false turn of sweetness in his voice, and Chizuru would've laughed if doing so wouldn't have hurt so badly.

“N-not at all!! It's simply the most appropriate remedy I'm familiar with, besides the only one that doesn't require acquiring fresh materials--”

Chizuru gave him a smile, immediately freezing the rest of Kasuka's words in his throat. Satisfied at his little show of power,  
Chizuru leaned back further on the couch, considering.

“Doesn't acupuncture require some sort of medical license?”  
He just received a blank stare for that.  
“... You have done it before, yes?”

“Yes.”

Chizuru sighed. Considering how he felt right now, that was good enough.

“Alright. I trust you more than the supposedly licensed doctor in our class anyhow.”

He hadn't realized he'd accidentally paid Kasuka a compliment until he looked back at his conversational partner, who didn't seem to know how to reply.

Chizuru let out another frustrated sigh, his entire body complaining as he lifted himself off the couch.  
“Come on then, grab what you need and meet me in my room.” Kasuka immediately launched out of his seat, the sight sliding another smirk onto Chizuru's face. “And remember what I said about my mood today - do not keep me waiting. And you'd best be _very_ careful with those needles.”

That sent Kasuka running, and Chizuru watched after him with fond amusement before his aching legs reminded him that he still had to drag himself to his own room.  
Part of him wished he was shameless enough to ask Kasuka to carry him, but instead he decided to be grateful that Kasuka's speedy exit meant he wouldn't catch Chizuru limping down the hallway.

 

What good cheer Chizuru had recovered was gone by the time Kasuka rejoined him - partly because of how painful the stairs up to his bed had been, but largely because he'd overworked himself in the first place to avoid sitting in his room alone. Laying beside an empty bed, in that room that without Jin felt far too large and too empty, Chizuru felt every bitter and lonely feeling he’d been working to avoid bubble up, until when at last the door opened to reveal someone other than Jin himself, Chizuru quickly felt the urge to take the needles he knew Kasuka was carrying and stuff them in his eyes.  
The frustrating few seconds it took for Kasuka to figure out he should go upstairs (as if every room in the dorms didn't have the exactly same layout) only served to focus Chizuru's hatred more pointedly on him, and only Kasuka's look of pure terror when he finally approached the bed Chizuru was laying on saved him from becoming the bloody victim of his foul mood.  
That, and the fact that his entire body hurt like hell.

“Welcome, I suppose. Do you have what you need?”  
Kasuka gave a timid nod, gesturing towards a plain looking bag he'd set on Chizuru's side table.  
“May I see them? I like to know what is going to be piercing my flesh, if possible.”

At this, Kasuka hesitated a moment, likely recalling the dangerous aura Chizuru had directed at him as he mounted the stairs moments ago. It wasn't a bad look, like prey spotting a predator, wide eyes darting for a place to hide.  
Ah, he could be endearing, in his own ways.  
Kasuka, smart boy that he was, eventually handed over the bag, Chizuru offering him his sweetest smile in gratitude before looking away to examine them. The contents of the bag were unexpectedly modern: a sealed bag of disposable needles, a box of gauze, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“I'm surprised. I didn't think any of your methods paid attention to modern sensibilities.”

“... My clients carry those expectations with them, so…”

Feeling assured enough, Chizuru laid down on his stomach, having already removed his shirt while waiting for Kasuka to arrive. Once again his body screamed in complaint as he folded his arms under his chin, and Chizuru was unable to hold back a groan of displeasure- which became a groan of something else as Kasuka moved onto the bed to straddle his waist.

“Um, excuse me- do you have to do that?”

“I'd prefer to.”

 _I'd prefer to_ , Chizuru had to pause a moment to fetch his brain back from the nether after hearing that, only to immediately lose it again at the feeling of Kasuka's hand pressing down hard on his shoulders, forcing him into the pillows.

“The treatment will be much more effective if you are relaxed. Try to clear your mind.”

“T-that is much easier said than done - unlike some people, my mind isn't completely empty by default!”

He didn't even get a reaction for that, though he supposed he wouldn't have been able to see it even if he had. Still, he felt himself getting frustrated, unusually bothered by how forceful Kasuka’s hand had felt on him (normally he preferred to be the one forcing someone down, so what was-??)

“To calm the mind… Music and scent are normally used.” Kasuka's voice tensed as he reached the end of his thought, as did the thighs straddling his waist. “I.. Didn't think to bring any of the incense from my room, since I usually keep them for ritual purposes.”  
Chizuru could feel how nervous Kasuka was from the tension of his legs against his body, and he shouldn't have been surprised by how much that did for him, once again having to recall his mind before he could process the tacit question in Kasuka's statement.

Perfumes were out of the question, as it would be far too much trouble to air them out of the room before Jin returned (at least, not without spending far more time in the empty room than he preferred), and as for music..  
There was a sound system set up under the stairs for the very purpose of relaxation, which Chizuru often played just as Jin awoke in order to create a pleasant start to his mornings. Since neither of them used the stereo for anything else (both being far too busy to engage in recreational listening), the desired audio could be started with the push of a button, at the ideal volume to relax a person laying upstairs, just as Chizuru was now.  
But… Kasuka didn't have to know that.

“Perhaps you could sing for me?”

Kasuka’s body jolted at the suggestion (another distracting sensation for the person he was sitting on), becoming even more tense than he already was.

“I-I doubt that I could-”

“Anything will do. An old lullaby, a repetitive nursery rhyme,” Chizuru felt his spirits lifting again at the physical sensation of Kasuka's fear, even if it came with an uncomfortable amount of squeezing. “Aren't songs often incorporated into religion? I'm sure you can come up with something.”

He heard Kasuka swallow above him, stiff enough that Chizuru half wondered if _he_ should be singing to Kasuka instead, but then Kasuka began to sing.  
It wasn't anything Chizuru recognized; likely some religious chant, judging by the odd accent on the words and the unusual throaty quality of the notes. His voice wasn't especially flattering either, dry and nervous in a way voices never were during yume lives, especially awkward with no sort of accompaniment behind it. Its raw, vulnerable sound had the feeling of something meant to be kept private, sounding too loud and almost shameful in the otherwise silent room. It was that shameful sound that Chizuru could find pleasure in, however, finding that the song had the same pathetic charm that Kasuka himself had.  
Chizuru had no problem admitting that he took sadistic pleasure in teasing Kasuka - the man never held back in his reactions, making his suffering known without ever making any strong effort to prevent it from happening again. The way he contorted himself in his suffering was ugly, from his voice and expressions down to the self-conscious way he clutched at himself, and yet it was hard to resist how fear and nervousness had tantalizingly entrenched themselves into every movement of his body. Despite being physically and socially unsightly, Kasuka held just enough charm, or perhaps the potential to be, that rather than be immediately disgusting, he inspired a certain morbid fascination in Chizuru. It was an attraction that he never really paid mind to, so much so that he now found himself wondering _Really? Is this how I'm ‘clearing my mind’? Waxing poetic about Kasuka?_

As he'd been lost in thought, Kasuka’s hands had begun wandering his back, the purpose for which Chizuru couldn't discern (besides driving his thoughts further down the path they were already on) until at last Kasuka seemed to find what he was looking for, his thumb rubbing slow repetitive circles on a point just above his right shoulder.  
He supposed Kasuka couldn't tell him where he was planning on poking him if he couldn't speak, could he?  
His next touch was cold, this time with the smell of alcohol (as disinfectant, he figured), and then- well, it didn't feel like he assumed being stabbed felt like. There was no feeling of sharpness or piercing, more like a slight push, followed by a slight discomfort as his muscles resisted the needle, and then-  
and then the exact opposite of that.  
Chizuru couldn't help but sigh as all the resistance in his right side drained out of him, Kasuka continuing the pattern of rubbing and inserting needles in a line down his back as Chizuru felt a comforting weight fall over him. The line Kasuka drew with the needles gradually began to feel warm as well, and somehow the odd sensation seemed to mix with the rumble of Kasuka's deep vibrato, vibrations ringing through both their bodies as Kasuka continued his droning melody.

As he worked, Kasuka's singing grew braver, as if he was becoming more confident in his ability to multitask now that he'd gotten down a rhythm (in both senses). Chizuru could easily lose himself in listening, observing how his voice slowly become more expressive, even beginning to sound like he was enjoying himself.  
He wondered if Kasuka liked to sing. He'd never struck him as the type, but he supposed it was possible to pick up the interest after having musical performances incorporated into their curriculum. Chizuru himself had never paid much mind to music until he began performing lives with Jin, obtaining from them an appreciation for the power and energy a song could have, and strong judgments about which did and did not.

“How do you feel?”

Chizuru hadn't noticed the break in Kasuka's song, coming out of his thoughts slowly as if rising from the bottom of the ocean.

“I feel,” his voice came out breathier than he wanted it to, sounding weak and airy compared to Kasuka's now. As he took a moment to compose himself, Chizuru noticed that Kasuka had started to absently massage circles into Chizuru's sides with his thumbs. Cheeky. “... Well, I'm not in any pain, which is a pleasant change of pace.”

Kasuka just let out a hum, shifting his weight on him a bit as his hands went back to the needles, now standing in several feather-thin rows across his back. Chizuru felt an odd sensation, not sure what was happening at first before realizing Kasuka was twisting them, doing so seemingly at random in a way that made Chizuru's nerves feel like they were lighting up like festive lighting. For a moment Chizuru felt like his head was spinning, overwhelmed from the sensation as feeling blinked up and down his back like twinkling stars, and then the feeling steadily reduced as Kasuka began to remove the needles in the same seemingly random order.

“Kasuka?”

“Anything wrong?”

“No, you're doing wonderfully.”  
Chizuru let all the affection he was feeling coat his voice, enjoying the way Kasuka’s body tensed with paranoia at the sound.  
“What were you singing before?”

“... Just, some festival songs from home.”

“Ahh, that's right- you're from some backwater island, aren't you?”  
Chizuru couldn't suppress a giggle at the way Kasuka squirmed with discomfort at the comment, even the slight ache in his ribs starting to feel pleasant.  
“... I enjoyed it. You have a pleasant voice, when you forget anyone’s paying attention to it.”

He heard Kasuka swallow again. Cute.

Kasuka's weight on him shifted again as he started packing up his bag, Chizuru guessing he'd retrieved all the needles from his flesh (and his bed, if he knew what was good for him). Rather than finally get off of him, however, Kasuka turned back to his previous position, Chizuru unable to suppress a shiver as wide, rough hands started trailing down his skin.

“I-Is this step necessary?”

He received no reply to that. Very cheeky.  
Still, it wasn't long until Kasuka was satisfied with rubbing his hands all over him (soothing the puncture spots? Wiping off the disinfectant? Psychological torture?), finally climbing off Chizuru's waist to sit at the edge of the bed.

“Is it alright if I turn over?”

“Yes. There is no blood, or the like.”

“I’d certainly hope so - I took you for a spiritual healer, not a plague doctor.”

“I'm not a healer, I'm a spirit mediu-”

“Shut up?” Chizuru turned onto his back, reaching out for Kasuka to lean in again. “Look at me. I'd like to see what kind of face you were making while you rubbed those disgusting hands of yours all over me.”

When Kasuka looked over, his face was flushed - he wished he knew whether that was from the taunt or before - his eyes those of a criminal on trial.  
Ah, he hadn't expected to miss that face as much as he did. He really did work himself up during the session, didn't he?

Kasuka seemed uncertain what to do as he waited for Chizuru's next order, panic rising under his expression as his eyes seemed scared to settle anywhere. Which was a thought he could certainly play with.

“Do you like what you see, Kasuka?”

Kasuka just spluttered at that, and Chizuru wondered again how such an ugly thing could be so attractive.  
He lifted himself off the bed, drawing closer, and Kasuka instinctively scrambled back in fright.

“You know Kasuka, I feel so energized thanks to you, it feels like I should use this energy to do something for you in return.” He started crawling towards the corner of the bed Kasuka had retreated to, licking his lips in amusement. “Serving others _is_ my specialty, you know?”

“T-there's no need for-”

“ _I insist_.”

At that Kasuka let out a yelp, falling backwards off the bed, and as Chizuru cackled down on him, he had to wonder if Kasuka was doing it on purpose. Stroking every sadistic impulse in him, the way he'd splayed himself himself on the floor below him, eyes wide with fear, and oh my, was he trembling, just a little?  
It'd be a bit vexing if Kasuka suggesting acupuncture had been the start of a ploy to seduce him, mostly because it was working. 

“How about, as a start, I help you back up here?”

Chizuru offered a hand down to him, and Kasuka looked up at it with trepidation, terror and confusion written across his features. When he finally found the nerve to accept it, though, rather than pay attention to his trembling, Chizuru found himself distracted by how large Kasuka's hand was compared to his own, mind filling with the too-recent memory of those hands caressing his bare skin -  
Ah, if Kasuka had truly planned this, he was far more devious than Chizuru gave him credit for.

Kasuka tried to stand back up, but Chizuru pulled him back onto the bed with him (perhaps that muscle training was accomplishing something after all), Kasuka's expression that of a man dragged into the middle of a minefield.

“Now, just how _shall_ I thank you?”

Chizuru grinned, getting the feeling he'd have a much easier time entertaining himself when Jin was away from now on.


End file.
